I.
A Solid Home
, by Elena Garro.
This one-act play explores life beyond the grave as a group of eight deceased family members ranging in age between five and eighty years (before death) together in their common plot, ponders their status and the purpose of their existence. Faint memories of their earthly lives are recalled during this entombment as they contemplate the attainment of their promised paradise. The “remains” are in varying degrees of decay, providing comic relief for the otherwise morbid theme.
For example:.
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Don Clement: For pity’s sake, now I can’t find my femur! . . . .
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Vincent Mej’a: I saw Katie using it for a trumpet.
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The characters maintain their earthly personalities in death and are thus very real and easily understood. The family members eventually vanish from their present states in order to be reincarnated according to their wishes.
I feel that this treatment of life after death is accessible and inoffensive to my particular students, as their uniquely Puerto Rican blend of Christianity based in Caribbean superstition is hardly traditional dogma.
The three-part strategy which we have employed throughout our seminars:
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1. record first impressions after a preliminary reading
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2. re-read to confirm or refute these thoughts
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3. read as an actor who would delve into one specific part
is an excellent approach to these plays with one basic difference. Before the initial reading, I feel the teacher’s role is crucial to stimulate students’ interest. Since this method requires three readings of each play (I have chosen short plays (10-28 pages) and excerpts for this reason) and since it is often very difficult to maintain students’ interest during even one reading of a play, the preparatory activities are imperative for successful results.
A respectful visit to a cemetary, either as a class or individually, would put students in the mood for the play. Back in the classroom I would shut the lights off (our room has enough natural light to allow for reading but maintain an eerie atmosphere) and greet students at the entrance to the “tomb” (the classroom) as they take their regular seats. I would very briefly describe the plot, leaving out the ending to stimulate their curiosity. With William Styron’s suggestion that “. . . this artificial picture of life must start from the detail of actuality-the audience must be able to recognize it. . . .”
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in mind, the students could then be asked to imagine the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of the tomb and under these headings write lists of adjectives, which could later be shared with the rest of the class. The concept of reincarnation could then be presented as a belief system which is accepted, if not by them, by certain other groups. Have them describe, at this point, either orally or in writing, what object they themselves would like to become in their transformation to the next life. And finally with Styron’s “memory” as a point of departure, i.e., “. . . we know how the character feels about things from his past and this determines his present actions and thoughts. . . ”,
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, have them list the qualities of their own personalities which they, like the characters of the play, would carry with them to the grave.
They would now be ready to read the play once for a general first impression. I would encourage a second reading with notations now of specific references to sensory details, personality traits and reincarnated modes. These should include costume notes (lace sleeping cap, nightgown, white dress, cuffs, fan, drop earrings, etc.), Don Clement’s argumentative manner and Mama Jessie’s vanity, and music from the harp of St. Cecelia, the fold of an angel’s tunic and the stone slabs of a tomb as their desires for reincarnated forms. The play could now be read a third time silently with specific characters in mind to anticipate a class reading, and finally, followup activities might include:
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—specifying the everyday phrases in the play which take on new meanings when taken out of the familiar context of earthly life and thrust into the tomb setting. Why are these a source of laughter throughout the play?
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—tracing the title as evidenced throughout the play, leading to the final reference when Lydia contemplates her unfulfilled earthly dream of having a “solid home.”
II.
Los Vendidos
, by Lu’s M. Valdez
This “acto” dramatizes “the tactics and acts of intimidation that grape growers and farmers employed on Chicano grape pickers during the strikes in Delano, California.”
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The setting is “Honest Sancho’s Used Mexican Lot and Mexican Curio Shop” and the six characters are intentionally stereotypical and superficial. Sancho has specific “models” on display, including a farm worker, a street-wise dude, a bandit and a “vendido” (i.e. a sellout, an acculturated Mexican-American. The use of the verb, “vender” in various forms, including the title, changes its meaning according to the particular context.) Another typical “sell-out”, a “Miss JIMenez”—(a deliberate distortion of the Spanish accent)—who is a secretary from the then Governor Reagan’s office, has come in search of a “Mexican type for the administration.”
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She finally decides on the Mexican-American model who then breaks out of his complacent role at the end and encourages the three other models to turn on Miss JIMenez and on Honest Sancho.
Again, I would preview this play by giving a brief synopsis of the plot, excluding the ending in order to maintain the students’ interest. Valdez’s use of the “acto” as described in the Chicano Theatre section at the beginning of the unit could be reviewed at this time and large identifying labels placed around each actor’s neck (these would read:
1. CONTRATISTA [labor-contractor-Honest Sancho]; 2. VENDIDA [female sell-out-Secretary]; 3. PEON [Farmworker]; 4. PACHUCO [gang member-Johnny]; 5. BANDITO [star, martyr, Latin-Lover (all rolled into one)—Revolucionario]; 6. VENDIDO [male sell-out—Mexican-American]).
Warm-up exercises would include the following descriptive stage directions taken directly from the text. These can be written on the board with the instruction to the students that the starred numbers (*) mean that two people are needed to enact these movements (preferably one male/one female). These pairs should be arranged before the warm-ups begin. The teacher or a student could take on the role of Honest Sancho and lead the activity by snapping his/her fingers, as this character does throughout the play, while simultaneously calling out the next number. Since the characters are actually described as puppets, have students enact the stage directions with marionette-like qualities:
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MS. JIMENEZ
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1. screams
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2. clutches
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*3. kicks Pachuco repeatedly
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FARM WORKER
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4. cuts grapes slowly
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5. cuts grapes quickly
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6. picks cotton slowly
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7. picks cotton quickly
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8. picks melons slowly
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9. picks melons quickly
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PACHUCO
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10. does the pachuco bounce (cool, street shuffle)
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11. pulls out a switch blade
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*12. stands out against an imaginary wall, legs spread out, arms behind back—second person frisks him
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*13. steals Secretary’s purse—she runs after him, gets it back, and kicks him
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REVOLUCIONARIO
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14. rides horse leading attack
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15. becomes a martyr
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16. becomes a moviestar
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*17. folds back Secretary, Latin-love style
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MEXICAN-AMERICAN 18. gives a political speech
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____
*19. kisses Secretary’s hand
References to cars and food are used throughout the play to describe the Farmworker, the Pachuco, the Revolutionary, and the Mexican-American. After the initial reading, it might be fun to have the students match up the following quotes (I would mix them up to make it more challenging for the students) to the actual characters in order to test their awareness of personality stereotypes.
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CARS
:
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Volkswagen of Mexicans built
close to the ground
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(Farm Worker)
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built for speed, low riding city
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(Pachuco)
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life features: Mag shoes,
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____
dual exhausts,
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____
green chartreuse paint job
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____
dark tint windshield
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antique well-built, sturdy, durable
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(Revolutionary)
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International Harvester of Mexicans
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sturdy U.S. steel frame
streamlined, modern apex of
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(Mexican-American)
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American engineering
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—What vehicle-related adjectives could be used to describe Sancho? Ms. Jimenez?
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—What would the six vehicles/persons look like if you were costuming them? Use elements of both to sketch your concept.
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FOOD:
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beans and tortillas
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chile
chile jalape–os
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(Farm Worker)
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chile verde
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chile colorado
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hamburgers
Taco Bell tacos
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(Pachuco)
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Lucky Lager Beer
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Thunderbird wine
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raw horsemeat
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(Revolutionary)
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tequila
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dry martinis
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(Mexican-American)
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Langendorf bread
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—Who would Ms. Jiménez feel most comfortable eating with? How about Sancho?
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—What additional kinds of food would they order at a restaurant?
The following activities could be utilized now for a deeper analysis of the various roles. The chapter in Keith Johnstone’s
Impro
entitled “Status” is worth reading at this point as the see-saw quality of relationships is particularly evident in this play.
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According to the author, status is something one does and is therefore unavoidable, i.e., no one can remain neutral. The “I-go-up/You-go-down rhythm is constant from beginning to end here and the characters’ status changes throughout. Johnstone considers this reversal of status between characters to be the mark of a good play. The element of comedy ensues when the status of two of the characters drops (Ms. Jimenez and Honest Sancho) at the end and we refuse to sympathize. The insecurity that the acculturated Mexican-American exhibits when he expounds in public on the negative experiences of his compatriots springs from his deeply-rooted self image of low status.
Johnstone suggests several exercises which would help students to interpret this change in status. First, they should analyze the characters in terms of status enjoyed at the beginning and then at the end of the play. Thus, Honext Sancho goes down in status as does Ms. Jiménez, while the Farm Worker, the Pachuco, and the Revolutionary are raised in status. The following exercises could be introduced at this time to make this concept clearer:
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—group the characters as if a photo were to be taken at the beginning and then at the end of the play—what would be the difference in the various poses?
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—eye-contact exercises in which the theory that the character who breaks eye contact and does not immediately glance back for even a fraction of a second is the higher in status
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—have one person play two roles, for example, an improvisation between the Revolutionary and Honest Sancho thus changing from low to high status at first and then reversing it, using a very still head position when authoritative.
This would be a good opportunity to list some of the isolated Spanish/Chicano words used in order to define them for a clear understanding of the play. These include:
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carabina—rifle
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carrilleras—chin strap
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cochota—a derelict
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filero—switchblade
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gabacho—derogatory term meaning Anglo-Saxon white
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huaraches—sandals with tire-rubber soles
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lana—money
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pachuco—term used in the ‘30’s, ’40’s, and early ’50’s to describe a “zoot-suiter”, gang member; “vato” is the current term
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patrón—the owner of a hacienda
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ruca—girlfriend, “chick”
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There are other phrases, sentences, even paragraphs used which are completely in Spanish and, as previously stated, would not have to be fully translated in order to get the full impact. For example, when the Mexican-American “awakens” in Spanish, the use of capitalization and exclamation points for an entire paragraph conveys his message clearly without the necessity of translating.
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And finally, English vocabulary words which might require defining throughout the play are: acculturate, administration, ambitious, curio, debonair, inferiority complex, naugahyde, patriotic, scabs, scapegoat, sophisticated, suave, and urban.
III.
La Raza Pura,
by Rubén Sierra
This is a technically complex work made up of twenty-seven vignettes and employs films, tapes, slides, and over thirty actors. Sierra makes a powerful statement about the myth of being able to maintain racial purity in a rapidly changing society. The “All-Purpose Racial Agency” in the play resembles “Honest Sancho’s Used Mexican Lot and Curio Shop” in Valdez’s
Los Vendidos
. The Racial Agency handles a complete Chicano line of models including Tijerina Off-White, Acapulco Gold, and Chicano Cream. The playwright’s intent in this work is to provide his Chicano audience with a mirror of its foibles in a humorous way. He believes that “seeing our own mistakes as other people see them gives us an opportunity to pause and re-examine what we are and attain a new insight into what we really are”.
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I have chosen to focus on one of the plays within the play, i.e., the romance between Jenny, an Anglo, and Jorge, a Chicano—a combined
Romeo and Juliet
and
West Side Story
. These extracted sections, when viewed as a continuous story, make dramatic sense by themselves; also, the romantic theme can be easily understood by the teenagers I teach thereby holding their interest. Some of the students can certainly sympathize with the basic problem of parental conflict over dating patterns of either inter or intra racial couples.
In Scene 4, the sub-plot begins in the studio of the All-Purpose Racial Agency where two actors—the Girl, who represents a Chicana in her mid-twenties, and Agent III, an Anglo male of the same age—are acting out a scene for the director, Agent I. The rehearsal is going along at a serious pace when the director throws up his arms in despair and asks for a more exaggerated, melodramatic, soapoperaish rendition; the vignette ends by their compliance with his demands.
As there are only five lines involved in both interpretations, it would be fun to assign these parts as a homework assignment for memorization:
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Girl: I want to very
much
, but it isn’t
possible
.
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Agent III: [taking her hand] I don’t see why it
has
to be! We’ve known
each
other for over
three
years; that ought to mean
something
, shouldn’t it?
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Girl: It’s not
that!
It’s because of my
parents
.
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Agent III: Oh! They won’t
accept
me because I’m an Anglo.
Does
it bother you?
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Girl: I
wouldn’t
date you if it did!
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The following day, test their memorization skills by leaving out every fifth word or so (the underlined ones) either orally or as a written assignment to see if they can fill in the blanks. Then, different couples could be randomly selected to present the serious version to the class, nothing that the only stage direction given in this first interchange is that the boy takes the girl’s hand. (This simple action usually embarrasses the actors and sends giggles around the classroom, so I always preface any romantic scene with the reminder that they are just acting and that professionals are often not comfortable with their partners in similar scenes but that their ability to make the audience believe in their emotions is the sign of a good actor, etc.) Let the students now experience the obvious difference between the sincerity of the first version and the overdramatization of the one to follow. The additional stage directions should be inserted in the appropriate spots in the second reading to further emphasize the contrast—try writing them on the board and have the students insert them where they make the most dramatic sense (mix them up, of course): “bringing hand to forehead;” “taking her hand and placing it on his heart;” “giving him her back;” “hanging his head;” “grasping her hands;” “bringing her to him;” and “pulling him closer, they embrace.”
As a warm-up activity at this point, let the students in the audience pretend they are actually holding cameras (or better still, with the assistance of the audio-visual department, this could become a reality). Have the actors “freeze” in the positions just described. Explain to students that this activity has particular meaning in this play as the use of projected photographs is used throughout as the actual stage setting.
The next encounter, Scene 6, is between the “real” romantic duo, this one a reversal of the first rehearsal scene, the girl, Jenny, being Anglo and the boy, Jorge, a Chicano. Jenny’s parents have forbidden her from seeing Jorge anymore and Jenny has conflicting feelings of love for Jorge and for her parents. He suggests that if they wait a while, her parents might soften and allow her to plan her own future as his parents have done. She knows this would never happen and when Jorge suggests marriage, she feels that this would only intensify the problem. Jorge then expounds on his changing attitudes—from hate to pity—towards Anglos and the scene ends by Jorge’s line:
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—Then that settles it, so let’s not hear anymore talk about you not seeing me anymore! We’ll find a way, and if we don’t, we’ll make one!
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In order to encourage student writing, I would preface this scene by telling them that before they read it, I will extract a few of the actual lines (including Jorge’s line, just cited) for them to use as a skeleton for their own writing of this scene. This could be a team writing exercise in which, if the class permits, one boy and one girl could make up a team with the corresponding person giving the lines (girl: Jenny, boy: Jorge). The lines I would choose are as follows:
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Jenny: Jorge, I’m glad you came.
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Jorge: What’s the matter?
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Jenny: __________
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Jenny: What am I going to do? Go against my parents and sneak around behind them and continue to see you until I run out of lies to tell them? What do I do?
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Jorge: __________
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Jorge: So what makes you so different, “gringa”?
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Jenny: __________
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Jorge: We’ll just have to make the best of it, simple as that! Well, what do you say?
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Jenny: __________
After they have all acted out their lines in front of the class, have them read the original script. A prize could then be awarded to the team who comes closest to the playwright’s version or to that team which the class has determined to have written the best solution to the problem.
As an approach to Scene 10, students could be encouraged to recreate the setting from a living room in which Jenny is seated with her parents to a phone conversation in which Jenny calls from college and her parents (her mother on an extension phone) respond to her entreaties to marry Jorge. Again, extract only Jenny’s lines (have a female student “on the phone” in front of the class giving each line in order) and have the class write what they feel the parents’ response is on the other end. Only tell them who is responding to Jenny at that particular time. Again, have students recreate their original reactions and award a prize to the most original work. Then the actual script could be read by all.
Scene 18 is an attempt by two of Jorge’s friends, Felipe and Juan, to understand his feelings towards Jenny. Since this is a perfect example of “code-switching” (see reference and example in introduction to unit), Spanish-speaking students could write a literal translation of the Spanish words and phrases, while English-speaking students with no knowledge of Spanish could write what they think is meant.
Scenes 21-23, the last in which the pair are on stage, depict Jenny and Jorge’s visit to his Uncle Frank, a family outcast because of his drinking problem. They seek his support and encouragement and succeed as they tap his wisdom and his philosophic approach to life. These scenes can be read in a straightforward manner, noting specifically one of Jenny’s questions and Uncle Frank’s response as a base for a writing assignment to follow:
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Jenny: Sure, but when it comes to parents, what are you supposed to do?
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Frank: Well, you tell them you love them, you thank them for the life they’ve given you, and then you try to lead your own life. Not forgetting them; just making your own way.
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As a final assignment, have the female students write a letter to their “parents” (the teacher) using the three elements Uncle Frank has described. Have the males write to their “parents” as they feel Jorge has written to his, with obvious positive results.
IV.
El Jard’n
, by Carlos Morton.
Morton’s first play resembles the “acto” described in the Valdez section in the beginning of the unit. It uses stock barrio figures and is a hilarious parody of the fall of man. The traditional biblical figures of Adam, Eve, God, and the Serpent dominate the action, but the playwright has thrown in a few extra characters whom his Chicano audience will readily identify: Matón (“Killer”), Ladrón (“Thief”), Muerte (“Death”), Columbo (“Christopher Columbus”), Padre (“Priest/ Confessor”), Ta’no (“Caribbean Indian”), Nixon, and a Reporter. Eve is aptly described as a “halfway-flirtatious chick” while the Serpent/ Devil is a dissipated, alcoholic street-type. The play contains many references meant to enhance communication with the audience: Eve complains that the traditional Mexican diet of beans, rice, and tortillas is ruining her figure; Adam mentions Farah slacks; God’s divine plan includes having Adam and Eve join the Angel Mariachi Band; the Serpent calls Eve his “little enchilada”. Once having established a close identification between the actors and the audience, Morton uses the biblical tale to suggest that the real tragedy of the fall is that man has lost touch with his spirit, the basis for racial and cultural pride. Adam falls in with a group of violent militants whose tactics are characterized as self-destructive and damaging to Chicanos. Through his play, Morton preaches racial harmony as he urges fellow-Chicanos to assume a role of peace-loving arbitrators between all races.
I feel that the biblical theme must be presented with an open mind and a good sense of humor by the teacher as it is an unorthodox interpretation and certainly not what the students or some teachers, for that matter, are used to hearing. (Columbus is also portrayed in a more realistic, less-idealized manner.) Before even mentioning the topic of the play, I suggest getting students into the mood by eliciting from them their own feelings about zoos from the point of view of their favorite animal. (Eve equates her life in the Garden with that of a caged beast.) In a very objective manner, the teacher can now inform students that the animal they are to describe is well-fed by the zoo-keeper, can exercise freely, has sufficient shelter, has another family member present of the opposite sex for companionship, and must always remain within the cage. Students can now write their thoughts taking this particular animal’s perspective. If no value judgment has been implied by the teacher, the results of the student writing should mirror those depicted in the play—positive feelings of security and well-being on the part of Adam and adventurous feelings of breaking away to an unrestricted setting for Eve.
The theme of the play can now be presented, stressing that this is one person’s interpretation of the Genesis story. A cursory silent reading of the 28 page play is suggested at this time in order to familiarize students with the plot and characters. The stereotypical qualities of each personality are obvious and students can be encouraged to imagine the performers on stage with the labeling system described in
Los Vendidos
earlier. Non-Spanish-speaking students will probably respond immediately to the multitude of Spanish words in the text. Assure them that after their first skimming of the play, the necessary time will be taken to analyze the language patterns used. After this first reading, have students write a brief synopsis of the play. This will illustrate to them (if they are only English speakers) that even without sufficient knowledge of Spanish they can get a general idea of the story line.
We can now consider the language structure of the play. “Codeswitching” is utilized here to a greater extent than in the other plays of this unit and for this reason the work can be used most successfully with either bilingual Spanish-English classes, beginning Spanish language classes, or with English literature classes, dictionaries close at hand. Most of the words can be found in a standard Spanish dictionary and the specific Chicano-flavored terms are basically the same as those employed in
Los Vendidos
and listed in that section.
I would begin the language analysis to either Bilingual or all-English speaking classes by writing the following Spanish words found in the text on the board in order to illustrate the striking similarity to English:
aventura
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mango
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beastial
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moral
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coco
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paternal
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coquetona
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perfectamente
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cultura
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persona
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dom’nio
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pi–a
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espacio intergaláctico
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ranchero
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esp’ritu
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serpiente
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hoteles
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soldado
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’ndio
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tráfico
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Jard’n
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vinagre
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There are many more to be found and a “treasure hunt” approach can be encouraged by offering a point reward system for each word encountered. Students could work in teams of two while reading the play the second time and make a simple dictionary to record their findings. A prize can be offered to the team with the most entries. Both bilingual and English-speaking students should write the corresponding English word in order to enhance vocabulary development. This also serves to encourage those beginning Spanish learners who might otherwise be intimidated by language study by giving them the facility to translate quickly. An obvious exercise for those students who understand the Spanish would be to translate, part orally, part written, wherever the words appear.
For the remainder of the analysis of the play, I have been inspired by the sense exercises in Brian Way’s
Development Through
Drama
, specifically chapter 4 entitled “Imagination”.
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I will use his examples as a basis upon which to elicit the students’ interpretations. Now that the play has been read a second time with the additional assistance of their personal “dictionaries,” I would begin the following warm-up activities associated with the five senses: